A Concept to Challenge Your Status Quo
Goal setting is both a science and an art. Long-term and mid-range goals tend to be more scientific, while short-term and immediate goals are more of an art form.
The Science of Long-Term Goals
Your annual goal is essentially a mathematical equation:
- Determine the terms you want for your "perfect life" (X)
- Calculate the income needed to support your "perfect life" (Z)
- Determine how many products or services (Y) you need to sell to reach that income
To make this more actionable, divide the annual goal by the number of months left in the specified time frame to create monthly targets. This process is straightforward and scientific.
The Art of Short-Term Goals
The nuance in goal setting comes with short-term and immediate goals. To set effective weekly goals:
- Assess the gap between your monthly goal and current progress
- Evaluate available resources (time, money, influence)
- Set a goal that stretches you without breaking you
This process should be repeated daily to determine your desired outcome. It's crucial to focus on outcomes rather than action items when determining the "daily goal." Having a clear daily goal has the greatest impact on the actions for the day as it helps prevent overwhelm from competing ideas throughout the day.
Once you've clarified your daily goal, create a list of high-impact actions to achieve it. This success list is comprised of things that you can control. For that reason, those are the items we reflect on to improve, not the achievement of the goal.
You'll know you've mastered the art of short-term goal setting when your goal serves as your definition of "enough," empowering you to disconnect and respect personal boundaries. This mastery comes from knowing that when you set truly stretching goals and bring unparalleled discipline to high-impact actions, you give yourself permission to enjoy the freedom that may have previously seemed elusive.
